When you cast this spell, choose one of cold, fire, electricity, or acid. You bring forth a barrier that absorbs a total of the first 8 damage/caster level (maximum 120 damage) of that type. This spell also gains that keyword. The target of that spell can use any energy absorbed in a few ways.

He can expend any amount of energy as part of casting an evocation to add 1/4th the energy expended in that damage type as part of the spell.

Can expend 7 energy as a swift action to be treated as armed for 1 round. His unarmed attack or melee weapon is treated as a weapon one size larger and gains a further 1d6 damage. All damage that that weapon inflicts
is of that element.

Can expend 30 damage as a standard action to not exist to a spell of that subtype for 1 round. You cannot be targeted by such a spell, nor are you affected by such a spell if you are within it’s area of effect, as if you weren’t even on the plane.

Expending energy does not restore the capacity of this ward, once the ward absorbs it’s maximum amount, it cannot prevent any more damage, although you can still expend energy.

One can only have one Elemental Siphon active on him at a time. If cast on a target with Protection from Energy, and this ward is the same element, 1/2 of the remaining capacity from Protection from Energy is added to this spell and Protection from Energy is immediately ended. This extra capacity does not count towards the 120 damage limit.

When you cast this spell, choose one of cold, fire, electricity, or acid. This spell also gains that keyword. You bring forth a ward that absorbs 100 plus 5 damage per caster level (no limit) damage of that type. The target of that spell can use any energy absorbed in a few ways.

You can use any of the effects of Elemental Siphon, as well as the following effects:

You can place a persistent aura around you as a free action on your own turn. For each 4 energy drained, you can choose to either do 1 damage of the warded element to every creature within 15 feet of you (no save) or negate 1 damage of the warded element to every creature within 15 feet of you. Unless you stop this aura as a free action on your own turn, it drains energy every round.

You can expend 50 energy as a swift action to do 1d6 damage per 2 caster levels of that energy’s damage within a 30 ft cone (Reflex negates).

You can expend 80 energy as part of casting an evocation spell of the same element as the ward to have that spell completely ignore elemental resistance (but not immunity).

You can expend 120 energy as a full-round action to summon Elementals as per Summon Monster VI. The elemental must match the type of the ward, and has a duration of 1 round per caster level.

The remaining capacity of this ward is how much energy the ward can absorb, thus spending energy increases the strength of the ward. If this ward attempts to absorb more than the maximum amount of energy, the ward immediately shatters and inflicts all of the stored damage onto the wearer (Fortitude half).

One can only have one Elemental Siphon or Reckless Elemental Siphon active on him at a time. If Protection from Energy and this spell are on the same subject, the newer spell is the first spell to take effect if the target is hit with a source of elemental damage.

First off as a note to the blog, I know it has been a long time since I’ve posted anything. This was honestly one of my older attempts at creating interesting things, edited a bit. I do want to get back into the habit of this, though.

Now about the archetype itself. It has always bothered me that Clerics of ideals and even clerics of gods look just about the same. They all channel positive energy (or maybe negative energy). They all heal, or sometimes hurt, and they get a few 1/day abilities (domain spells) to differentiate them. The goal here is to put forth a cleric that felt more like a cleric of that ideal.

Cleric of the River Freedoms (Cleric Archetype)Devotee to Freedom
You treat any active adherent to the River Freedoms as a believer of your faith for abilities and spells. You treat anyone who has knowingly violated the River Freedoms as an enemy of the faith for spells and abilities. You cannot pick a deity, instead acting as a cleric of an ideal.

Exemplar of the Outlaws
If you chose Contracts/Oaths, Freedom, or Luck as a variant channeling, you can choose whether to heal or harm with it on any usage, instead of choosing when you create your character. However, the targets only take the secondary effect, gaining no healing nor taking damage. This modifies channel energy only if you have one of the mentioned variant channeling abilities.

Domains
You may pick two domains, but you do not gain the abilities from either domain, only gaining domain spells. You instead gain Brittle Bonds, Never Quiet, and Freedom to Live. This modifies the domain class feature.

Brittle Bonds (Su):
As an attack action, he can make a touch attack on an object or construct that does 1d6 damage + 1 per cleric level. If using this on an object, its hardness is replaced by it’s caster level for this attack (non-magical items have a caster level of 0). If this ability gives a restraint the broken condition, any creatures it is holding gains a +10 bonus to CMB or Escape Artist checks to escape. This ability can never bring a magical item below 1 hit point. Brittle Bonds can also be used to make a sunder attempt without provoking an Attack of Opportunity. This ability can be used 3 + Wisdom modifier times per day. A use is expended even if the touch attack misses or the sunder attempt fails. You may also choose to lose 1 orison slot for the day when you prepare spells to be able to use this ability at-will.

Never quiet (Su):
At 5th level, you may use any spell to either as a counterspell to or as a standard action to automatically dispel (without a check) any spell that causes magical silence or any spell with the [sonic] descriptor that is the same level or lower level than the spell.

Freedom to live (Sp):
At 8th level, 3 times per day, you can automatically remove all transmutation[curse] spells on a non-enemy of the faith within 30 feet as a standard action as per a successful Remove Curse. You can also attempt to use this to negate all enchantment spells as per Dispel Magic. For every cleric level above 8th, you gain an additional use of this ability.

These feats are about placing a lot of force into a spell, whether it’s the spell that’s worth never being able to cast again, turning your trusty scorching rays into iron blades, or having the Wall of Fire dance at your opponents, adding a new angle of danger to your spells should give you fun ways to vanquish your enemies.

Burnout Spell [Wizard]Requirements: 3 metamagic feats

When you cast a spell, you can force incredible power into the spell at a huge cost. As part of the action of casting a spell, you can add an amount of metamagic no more than 1/2 your caster level. This metamagic does not increase the spell slot used for the spell, nor does it increase the casting time for casting it spontaneously. The DC of the spell is as if it were cast from your highest level spell slot, and even a direct counterspell requires a caster level check (DC 11 + your caster level, but all spells that act as Dispel Magic take a -10 penalty to the caster level check when countering or dispelling any spell).

When you do this, the spell slot is permanently lost. No magic short of a deific intervention can restore a spell slot lost this way. The focus to cast a burnout spell requires incredible focus, and a creature under a [Fear], [Charm], or [Compulsion] effect cannot use a Burnout Spell.

Bludgeon Spell [Wizard, Metamagic]

You may have an instanteous spell of the Conjuration or Evocation Schools instead do Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage. If the spell is affected by Spell Resistance, it now ignores Spell Resistance. Damage done by this spell is as if it were from a magic steel weapon.

This cannot affect a Positive or Negative energy spell. This increases the spell level by 1.

Semi-animate Spell [Wizard, Metamagic]

This spell can claw and strike at creatures near it. A spell that is non-instanteous and affects an area (rather than a number of creatures) can once per round strike out at a creature within 10 feet of the edge of the spell. The spell makes a touch attack of the caster’s BAB + his casting stat modifier. If it hits, it is as if the creature hit was within the area of the spell. A Semi-animate spell cannot lash out in any turn that it has moved of it’s own volition.

Right now, anyone who knows much about the 3.5 and Pathfinder systems is that Evokers have always gotten the short end of the stick. At some point, I’d like to explore what makes a fun and useful evocation spell (besides blast things to smithereens), Here are a few spells that have come out of that.

A pulse of electricity is placed on the target, tearing into any wounds that open up on the target. Any time that the target takes any damage from any source other than this spell, it also takes 1 + 1 per 3 caster levels lightning damage (max 6).

A pulse of electricity is placed on the target, tearing into any wounds that open up on the target. Any time that the target takes any damage from any source other than this spell, it also takes 3d8 + 1 per 2 caster levels lightning damage (max 3d8+ 10).

You call forth lightning that from the past ages of chaos. You gain a number use of this ability equal to 1/2 your caster level (max 12). With this spell, you can choose from one of 2 abilities as a standard action. You can throw a bolt of lightning up to 400 feet. If this spell hits a creature or object, that target takes 20d6 lightning damage, and must make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds. Even if he succeeds on the save, he is stunned for 1 round. The target is not allowed a save if the spell would hit standard AC. Either way, all creatures around him also take 20d6 lightning damage and are stunned for 1 round (reflex half and negate stun).

The second use of this spell centers it on yourself. Doing it this way does no damage, but makes a Bull rush CMB check on all creatures within 40 feet of you equal to 1d20 + 15 + your casting stat + your caster level. If this bull rush succeeds, it pushes the creature 40 feet + 5 feet for every 2 points that you succeed by. All creatures in the area of the spell (other than yourself) must make a Fortitude Save or be blinded permanently (dazzled for 1 hour on save).

When you cast this spell, you gain 1 charge + 1 charge per caster level (max 6 charges at caster level 5). As an attack action (or once as a free action upon casting this spell), you may use 1 charge. This allows a ranged attack with a range increment of 50ft which must hit normal AC, but does 1d10 cold damage if it hits. This spell is treated as the most advantageous of a non-magical piercing weapon or a cold attack. You gain your choice of bonuses that would apply to any bow or crossbow or any cold ray. Each missile is affected by Spell Resistance separately.

You call a storm from the skies that surrounds you with lightning. Any creatures on the edges of the range take 1d8 lightning damage/CL (max 10d8) unless they succeed on a Reflex save. If they do, they gain free movement to either side of the spell. The spell persists, in which if any creature attempts to go to the other side of the wall by standard movement, they take 5d6 lightning damage (no save) and must succeed on a bull rush CMB check (DC 15 + Caster level + Casting stat or the caster’s CMD vs Bull rush, if higher) or have it’s movement stopped immediately. If a creature is forced against the wall, it cannot attempt the bull rush check, and will remain on it’s side of the wall.

I do admit that a lot of what’s here are lightning spells, and this does include some experiments in having some extra use for Gishes, mainly through adding bonuses for hitting primary AC, and allowing some martial stats to affect the difficulty of the spells. On the other hand, I’m hoping effects like Primal Bolt, which doesn’t give more upfront damage, but allows a spell slot to go further, gives true mages a reason to use evocation spells without DMs feeling a need to just stack more hp.